Not on display

Portrai of J.J. Jennings

Drawing
1930 (drawn)
Artist/Maker

The bass-baritone and artist Fernando Autori (1886-1937) was born in Calatafini, Sicily, and despite wanting to become a painter, studied pharmacy at the University of Palermo before leaving to study singing in Palermo with Antonio Cantelli. He made his debut as an opera singer in 1908 at the Teatro Bellini in Naples and after the war first appeared at La Scala, Milan, in 1924. He made several successful guest appearances at Covent Garden and other European opera houses in the 1930s

During his operatic career in London Aurori met Rupert D'Oyly Carte, Director of the D'Oyly Carte Company from 1913 to 1948, whose portrait he drew along with those of conductors and personalities associated with the company. Several of Autori's portraits were commisioned to appear in the periodical The Tatler, including his portraits of theatre impresario Charles Cochran, the writer H.G. Wells and the politician Ramsay Macdonald.

J.J. Jennings worked on advance publicity for the D'Oyly Carte Company in the early 1930s and the early 1950s. He was also depicted in a Tim Titt cartoon published in The Tatler showing members of the D'Oyly Carte administrative staff playing members of the company.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitlePortrai of J.J. Jennings (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Pencil on art board
Brief description
Portrait of J.J. Jennings. Pencil on cartridge board by Fernando Autori (1886-1937). Signed and dated 'J. Jennings Aug 5/1930'
Physical description
Head and shoulders portrait of J.J. Jennings in profile, looking to his right. Signed AVTORI 1930 and autographed and dated by J. Jennings
Dimensions
  • Height: 28.9cm
  • Width: 23.0cm
Marks and inscriptions
J. Jennings Aug 5/1930
Credit line
Bequeathed by Peter Parker
Object history
This drawing was inherited by Peter Parker, who bequeathed it to the museum, from his father Stanley Parker who was employed by the Savoy Hotel as a junior clerk in May 1909, straight from school. From that job, on the death of Helen D'Oyly Carte in 1913, he was picked by Rupert D'Oyly Carte to understudy Mr George A Richardson who managed the theatre from November 1911 to February 1915.

In 1913 Stanley Parker became Rupert D'Oyly Carte's private secretary, and later Bridget D'Oyly Carte's private secretary, also secretary of both the Savoy Theatre Ltd., and the Opera Company.
Summary
The bass-baritone and artist Fernando Autori (1886-1937) was born in Calatafini, Sicily, and despite wanting to become a painter, studied pharmacy at the University of Palermo before leaving to study singing in Palermo with Antonio Cantelli. He made his debut as an opera singer in 1908 at the Teatro Bellini in Naples and after the war first appeared at La Scala, Milan, in 1924. He made several successful guest appearances at Covent Garden and other European opera houses in the 1930s

During his operatic career in London Aurori met Rupert D'Oyly Carte, Director of the D'Oyly Carte Company from 1913 to 1948, whose portrait he drew along with those of conductors and personalities associated with the company. Several of Autori's portraits were commisioned to appear in the periodical The Tatler, including his portraits of theatre impresario Charles Cochran, the writer H.G. Wells and the politician Ramsay Macdonald.

J.J. Jennings worked on advance publicity for the D'Oyly Carte Company in the early 1930s and the early 1950s. He was also depicted in a Tim Titt cartoon published in The Tatler showing members of the D'Oyly Carte administrative staff playing members of the company.
Associated objects
Collection
Accession number
S.1045-2021

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Record createdSeptember 6, 2021
Record URL
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